Women in Sports Broadcasting: Three Women's Stories

79 Pages·2015·0.56 MB·English

by  Courtney Christine Molinaro

Lehigh University
Lehigh Preserve
Theses and Dissertations
2011
Women in Sports Broadcasting: Three Women's
Stories
Courtney Christine Molinaro
Lehigh University
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Molinaro, Courtney Christine, "Women in Sports Broadcasting: Three Women's Stories" (2011).Theses and Dissertations.Paper 1051.
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Women in Sports Broadcasting:
Three Women's Stories

by
Courtney Christine Molinaro

A Thesis
Presented to the Graduate and Research Committee
of Lehigh University
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Master of Arts
in
American Studies
Lehigh University

May 2011
Copyright
Courtney Christine Molinaro

ii
Thesis is accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Master of Arts in American Studies
Women in Sports Broadcasting:
Three Women's Stories

Courtney Christine Molinaro

May 6, 2011
Date Approved

John Jirik, Ph.D.
Advisor

Hugo Ceron-Anaya, Ph.D.
Co-Advisor

Edward Whitley, Ph.D.
Department Chair Person

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Dedication
This thesis is dedicated to my family who has always supported me in all my endeavors.
I love you all!

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Table of Contents
I. ABSTRACT 1
II. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 2
III. INTRODUCTION
a. Purpose Statement 3
b. Significance 3
d. Definition of Terms 4
IV. LITERATURE REVIEW
a. Women in American Society since the 1900s 5
b. The emergence of sports broadcasting 13
c. Women in broadcasting 16
V. THEORY 25
VI. METHOD 33
a. Limitations 37
VII. DATA
a. Case Studies 40
VIII. DISCUSSION 60
IX. CONCLUSION 63
a. Suggestions for further research 65
X. REFERENCES 67
XI. VITA 71

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Abstract
This thesis examines two women who work in the sports broadcasting industry as
on-air broadcasters and a third woman who was an on-air sports broadcaster for 17 years.
Data on these women was collected through interviews and background research. The
goals of this study are to introduce these three women and to use French sociologist
Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital, field, and habitus as a tool to understand their success
in the sports broadcasting industry as on-air broadcasters. Also, I introduce the idea of
„bodily capital,‟ which the researcher associates with Bourdieu's concept of corporeal
capital, as acting as an element prominent in the entertainment industry, including sports
broadcasting.

1
List of Illustrations

1. Mimi Griffin 40
2. Beth Mowins 47
3. Suzy Kolber 53

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Chapter I: Introduction
Purpose Statement
This thesis is a case study of three women sports broadcasters. I undertook the
research to add to our understanding of the role of women on-air in television sports
broadcasting in the United States. To better contextualize these women's stories, I first
recount women's role in society throughout the nation‟s history. I then look at the
emergence of sports broadcasting. Finally, as background, I provide an overview of the
history of women in broadcasting. The three case studies of women who have either
worked as sports broadcasters or still do, were developed through research and
interviews. Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital, field, and habitus is used as a tool to
analyze the women‟s experiences in the industry, expanding the application of the theory
to include the sports broadcasting industry. As part of the analysis I shall discuss an
aspect of cultural and social capital, which I call „bodily capital.‟
Significance
The significance of this study is that it examines the emergence of women in
sports broadcasting, within the context of the changing roles of women in society and
development of television. By using Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital, habitus, and field
and applying these concepts to the role of women in the specific field of on-air sports
broadcasting, I will show the necessary factors which enabled success (here defined as
obtaining a career as a television on-air sports broadcaster) for the three case studies. The
three women in this study are Mimi Griffin, Beth Mowins, and Suzy Kolber. Griffin
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worked for ESPN between 1983 through 1999 and CBS Sports from 1985 through 1991.
Mowins began her career with ESPN in 1994 and Kolber worked for CBS Sports after
she graduated from the University of Miami in 1986. She then worked for WPEC- TV in
West Palm in 1991 before joining ESPN in 1993. The time period when they worked in
the sports broadcasting industry as on-air sports broadcasters dates from 1981 to the
present.
Definition of Terms
Current Role: The time period from 2010 through Spring of 2011.
On-air women in television sports broadcasting: Women who work on-air in the sports
broadcasting industry. She could be a play-by-play announcer, color
commentator/analyst, and/or a sideline reporter who works in the television medium. A
color commentator is the person who provides expert analysis of the game and converses
with the play-by-play commentator. A play-by-play commentator describes what happens
during the game.
Finally, this work should be seen as exploratory. With only three case studies it
would be impossible to generalize about women in sports broadcasting. However, the
stories presented here provide insight into how these women have succeeded, and can
help future research formulate the kinds of questions that will further our understanding
of the evolving role of women in sports broadcasting.

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